Tag Archives: Magic Mike

Nobody quite expected "Magic Mike," last year's working class drama based loosely around star Channing Tatum's time as a male stripper, to be quite as unbelievably awesome as it was. But it really was amazing — a drama that informed the passing populace about a niche subculture in the same way "Saturday Night Fever" or "American Gigolo" did before it, directed beautifully by Steven Soderbergh and anchored by a performance that secured Tatum's place as one of America's greatest treasures, along with the Hoover Dam and the idea to combine chicken and waffles on one delicious plate.

Guys, we're not talking about a piece of fruit! (Though fruit is a nutritious snack that can often be described by the above adjectives.) Uh-uh, we're thinking more along the lines of abs than apples. Particularly, the abdominal regions of our 2013 MTV Movie AwardsBest Shirtless Performance nominees. Which nominee will dance away with the Golden Popcorn in this brand new category on Sunday night? Get More »

You thought Robert Pattinson was the ideal choice to play Edward Cullen in "Twilight." You believed that no other actor could play the stuck-up bookstore owner with as much hidden depth as Tom Hanks in "You've Got Mail." And you thought no one could radiate sex appeal like Channing Tatum in "Magic Mike."

Now the producers of each of the three films have to be questioning their decisions. "Oh, my. Did we make the wrong casting choice?" NextMovie's opinion on each of the three films, respectively: Yes, yes, and absolutely.

Everyone was young once: your teachers, your bosses, your parents. And in Hollywood, the land of movie magic, not only were your favorite fictional characters once children, they were all young at the same time.

We know, it doesn't make sense. But what other conclusion could we draw from this, a page from the Hollywood Movie High School yearbook? It features future VIPs like Bruce Wayne and Elle Woods before they hit the big time, Nina Sayers before she donned the Black Swan's feathers, Anton Chigurh before he grew out his bangs in "No Country For Old Men."

When Channing co-stars with Jamie Foxx in this summer's action thriller "White House Down," that might make a great opportunity to make a portrait of Jamie out of fox fur, or perhaps another one of Channing fashioned from over 1000 small portraits of Tatum O'Neal.

Now that 2013 is underway, we're officially in the thick of Oscars season. Which means that studios are putting on the full-court publicity press for films they want to snag Oscar nominations (to be announced Jan. 10). Industry magazines like Variety are brimming with "For Your Consideration" ads for probable shoo-ins like Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis in "Lincoln" and Best Supporting Actress for Anne Hathaway in "Les Miserables."

But what about those potential nominees and angles that aren't quite so obvious? With the help of our friend Old Red Jalopy, we've unearthed ten, shall we say, "unorthodox" Oscar campaign posters you might have missed.

Making movie posters — or in industry speak, one sheeting — can be tricky business. Needless to say, sometimes certain cinematic nuances (e.g., the movie sucks) can be lost in the effort. As such, a look back on 2012's crop of flicks shows quite a few posters which told very little truth about the movies at hand.

Enter The Shiznet to set the record straight and display what should've really made it into the marquees this year.

Infusing some homegrown veracity into "Magic Mike," for instance, the evil Brit geniuses yielded a film more appropriately titled "Sausage Fest," the tagline for which is "Bursting at the seams with man ass." Break us off a piece of that. The truth will set your buns free!

12. 'John Carter,' for being such a great punchline.

13. Ryan Gosling, for living.

Remember old episodes of "Scooby Doo," where they'd rip off a monster mask to reveal a villain — only to rip off another mask and reveal the real culprit underneath? It defies logic — first of all, where did they find such lifelike masks of Old Mr. Jenkins, the carnival owner?

Logistic issues aside, those were our favorite episodes. There's an inherent charm of people dressed as people dressed as other people that's still pretty funny to us as adults. Jim Carrey? Great. Jim Carrey in "Yes Man?" Terrific.

This week: Before he became an actor, Channing Tatum worked as a male stripper, which inspired Steven Soderbergh to direct "Magic Mike," a behind-the-scenes look at a troupe of male strippers taking it off nightly at a club in Florida.